Sangakkara and Smith bring Bradman back to life

In the last few days the legendary Australian batsman, Captain and Chief Selector Sir Donald Bradman has been frequently mentioned and brought back to life. This is because Sri Lanka’s batting sensation Kumar Sangakkara and Australian Captain Steve Smith have been breaking batting records in Test cricket that belonged to the great.

Sangakkara created the record against New Zealand in the Second Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand and Steve Smith similarly in the final Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia.

Sangakkara in making his 11th double hundred 203, went past West Indian Brian Lara and is now lying second to the great Don. Another double hundred and he will be bracketed with the great man of having scored 12 double hundreds in Test cricket.

Smith unwinds four centuries

Smith the new Australian captain does not seem to be under pressure in his new responsible post and, in unwinding, reeled off four centuries in the Four Test series against India. Smith’s scores were 162 in Adelaide, 133 in Brisbane, 192 in Melbourne and 117 at the SCG.

But both Sangakkara and Smith will acknowledge that while they will be mentioned with the great, great man Sir Donald Bradman, that they are nowhere in the class of Sir Don. Bradman will be Bradman and there will never be another Bradman for even over a hundred years.

A Sri Lanka now domiciled in Wellington, New Zealand who watched Sangakkara’s record breaking batting feat was former Peterite Asoka Atapattu. Coming down the line Atapattu described the knock as brilliant, because it was made against all odds. He says he was fortunate to be at the scene of action and bracketed it with the 267 Aravinda de Silva blasted also in Wellington.

Asoka Atapattu great cricket fan

Incidentally Atapattu is a great cricket fan. And so is his fair lady Padmini who never misses watching the Sri Lankan cricketers when they are in action in Wellington. One must see the hundreds of books on cricket and cricket parapanelia that Atapattu has to believe. It is like a room full of Roses that decorate a tempting library.

But Atapattu lamented the loss and the series to New Zealand saying that the fantastic knock by Sangakkara was ruined by the poor catching display by some of the Sri Lankan fielders at vital moments of the game.

With New Zealand struggling, dropped catches helped Kane Williamson 242 and Brad Watling 142 to post a world record unbroken stand of 365 for the sixth victory that took them to victory and the series two nil.

When Bens emerged champions

With the inter-school cricket season just starting, it brought to mind inter-school cricket during our time at St. Benedict’s College, Kotahena especially in 1957 when the green, white and green school emerged un-official cricket champions that year.

Cricket at St. Benedict’s College was on the high from its inception, but expect for winning an occasional match, could not reach champion class.

But in 1957 saw a renaissance. The Director Rev. Bro. Alban Patrick, Prefect of Games A. Gnanapragasam, coach Edward Kelaart and captain Lovelly Rayen formed a formidable foursome and were determined to get the best out of the talented cricketers and make the school champions and that they succeeded was due to their determination and dedication. And also curator Rogus Perera too contributed.

Gnanapragasam best Prefect of Games

In 1957 SBC had the best Prefect of Games in A. Gnanapragasam. He was an Arts Graduate and was a tireless worker and spent a lot of time with the cricketers seeing to their every need. He stressed on the cricketers the importance of winning. When the season began he would distribute copies of the poem by Rudyard Kipling ‘IF’ to every player and after practice read and explain the importance of that poem.

The first game was against S. Thomas at Mount Lavinia. The leading newspaper at that time was the ‘Daily News’ and on the morning of the match the paper ran the headline – Thomians favourites.

Infused important confidence

But at lunch that morning, the POG spoke to the players and infused in them the all important confidence telling them that we were better than the Thomians and that we could win.

And win we did and that victory set the tone for the team to go through unbeaten beating all other schools on the first innings to be finally be crowned UNOFFICIAL INTER-SCHOOL CRICKET CHAMPIONS 1957. Here’s that SBC team that brought honour for posterity: Lovellyn Rayen (Capt), Neville Casiechetty (VC), Cecil Waidyaratne, Ranjit Jayewardena, Anslem Ludowyeke, Lasantha Fernando, Lionel Fernando, Elmo Rodrigopulle, Benjamin Silva, Neville Wickremasinghe, Fritzroy Ponniah, Anton Abeysekera, Allan Gunesekera and Douglas Faux.

Reproduced below is that wonderful poem

IF – by RUDYARD KIPLING

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired of waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch–and-toss,
And lose, and start again at you beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them ‘hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men can count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And-which is more-you’ll be a Man, my son!

By the way enjoy life now. It has an expiry date on it.

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